How to watch the Star Wars movies in order: Every order from chronological timeline to release date
Star Wars is one of the most beloved franchises in the world - and here is how to watch it all in order...
It's the day of the year that Star Wars fans have been waiting for – May 4th.
The anticipated day in question celebrates the world-famous sci-fi franchise with a range of events and special offers. But what better way to mark the occasion than by doing a movie marathon for yourself?
Not that you need any convincing but with so many stellar movies, it's a great time to revisit how to watch the Star Wars movies in order again.
Almost half a century has passed since the first Star Wars film changed cinema forever in 1977 and, with the franchise still going strong decades later, there are more options than ever to choose from.
With nine mainline movies, two spin-offs and a host of Disney Plus shows to consider, figuring out how to watch them in order can be a tricky task.
As well as The Mandalorian season 3, which released on the platform in March 2023, fans were also treated to the first season of Rogue One prequel Andor last year.
And there are more Star Wars series on the way to Disney Plus including The Mandalorian spin-offs Ahsoka and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. We will also be getting the oldest chronological offering yet with the Disney+ show The Acolyte which will be set during the glory days of the High Republic.
We can also rest comfortably knowing that The Mandalorian will return for a fourth season on Disney+ sometime in the future.
But the Star Wars order gets more tricky when you add in the TV shows like Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Disney Plus has all the Star Wars movies (in 4K too), as well as the shows and breakaway standalone shorts and animations.
If you want to watch the Star Wars movies and shows in order, you have a few options. Some claim there are five different orders you can watch the Star Wars saga in, but there are a few widely accepted preferred ways.
The three seen as the best in telling the Skywalker story are the order of episodes (chronological), production (release date), and the Godfather cut. There's also the Machete order that cuts The Phantom Menace. There are pros and cons for all of these of course, which we've broken down for you.
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Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.
- Star Wars movies in chronological timeline order
- Star Wars movies and TV series in release order
- Complete Star Wars viewing order including TV shows
- Star Wars movies in 'The Godfather order'
- Star Wars movies in The Machete Order
- Star Wars movies in The Rinster Order
- What's the best Star Wars movie order?
- Star Wars movies on Disney Plus
- How long will it take to watch all the Star Wars movies?
Star Wars movies in chronological timeline order
The Star Wars movies in chronological order sets the movies in a real timeline so you experience the story as it would unfold for the characters. Below, we have every Star Wars movie as well as the spin-offs. If you start the movies in this order you could watch them in a weekend.
If marked in italics then the titles remain unreleased.
How to watch the Star Wars in chronological order:
- Untitled James Mangold film (TBC)
- The Acolyte (2024-)
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
- Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)
- Andor (2022-present)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- The Mandalorian (2019-present)
- The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)
- Ahsoka (2023-)
- Skeleton Crew (2023-)
- Untitled Dave Feloni film (TBC)
- Star Wars: Resistance (2018-2020)
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film (TBC)
Or, going by movies only:
- Untitled James Mangold film (TBC)
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Untitled Dave Feloni film (TBC)
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film (TBC)
Pros: If you choose to watch the Star Wars movies in chronological order, you'll be living the story along with the characters, following the official chronology of the series. We've used New Hope as the central point to work out the timeline here.
Cons: This order does, however, come with a couple of downsides. For one, the big reveal about Luke's parentage (one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history) is ruined this way. It also makes the saga's inconsistencies glaringly obvious, including Obi-Wan forgetting about Leia's existence despite being present at her birth. And that's assuming you make it through the divisive prequels, a feat that might require you to use the Force, or don't want to have to rush through the full Mandalorian series on Disney Plus.
If you're looking for the Star Wars complete saga - that's including the Mandalorian - then skip to that section further down the page.
Star Wars movies and TV series in release date order
Next up, watching the Star Wars movies in release order.
It may not marry up to the chronological order of the story, but this release date order allows you to experience it how the rest of the world did.
You can also observe how cinematic techniques have developed (or not developed) over time.
Here's how to watch the Star Wars movies in release order.
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
If you want to watch the Star Wars movies in release order with the TV series (in italics) we've got that list for you too.
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
- Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Star Wars: Resistance (2018-2020)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- The Mandalorian (2019-present)
- The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
- Andor (2022-present)
- Ahsoka (2023)
- Skeleton Crew (2023)
- The Acolyte (2024)
- Lando (TBC)
- Untitled James Mangold film (TBC)
- Untitled Dave Feloni film (TBC)
- Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film (TBC)
Pros: Enjoying Star Wars by release date, aka the purist way, means you watch the movies in the same order they originally came out in cinemas. After all, this is how most Star Wars fans experienced the intergalactic saga in the first place.
Cons: However, George Lucas made more than a few tweaks to the original trilogy following the release of the prequels, and has been vocal about watching them by in-movie chronology instead. Also, thanks to the advent of spin-off movies and TV shows watching this way means you might end up jumping around the story a bit.
Complete Star Wars viewing order including TV shows
Although some of the orders above include select Star Wars TV shows and specials produced since 1977, there are more out there. A lot more. While several are either unknown to many fans (like niche 1980s animation series Droids), others have been completely disavowed by Star Wars creator George Lucas (looking at you, Holiday Special). All, however, are part of the extended Star Wars Universe, officially or not.
When Disney bought Lucasfilm it also meant that the Expanded Universe was reset, in plain terms it meant all the movies, animation and shows that had built up in the background were now not canon. The Prequel Trilogy, Original Trilogy and The Clone Wars animation all remain canon. Of course, Disney has added to the canon and more than replaced what was taken away. This will take you far longer than a weekend.
For those brave enough to view it all, here’s the entire Star Wars Saga and limited specials in chronological order - as best as we know at present.
- Untitled James Mangold film (upcoming)
- Star Wars: The Acolyte (upcoming, 2024?)
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles (2013 to 2014)
- Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace (2011)
- The Clone Wars (2008 to 2014)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
- Star Wars Rebels (2014 to 2018)
- Andor (2022 to present)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Star Wars: Droids (1985 to 1986)
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars: Holiday Special (1978)
- Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out (2012)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures (2016 to 2017)
- Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales (2015)
- Ewoks (1985 to 1986)
- The Mandalorian (2019-present)
- The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)
- Ahsoka (upcoming, 2023)
- Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (upcoming, 2023)
- Untitled Dave Feloni film (upcoming)
- Star Wars: Resistance (2018 to Present)
- Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises (2016)
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2016)
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- Star Wars: Forces of Destiny (2017)
- Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film (upcoming)
Pros: The ultimate fan wants the ultimate Star Wars saga order. This order leaves nothing out, you'll get all the background for characters like Ahsoka getting you ready for The Mandalorian and the spin-offs.
Ahsoka came from Clone Wars, then popped up in Rebels and was last seen in The Mandalorian. We also expect Obi-Wan Kenobi to add more layers to the Jedi's story too as it's set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, so around the Solo movie timeframe.
Spin-off Andor, is set five years before Rogue One, so it's nearer Rebels and the new series; The Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew are all before The Force Awakens. The Acolyte will come years before The Phantom Menace and lastly, The Bad Batch spins-off from The Clone Wars, and follows on from the series.
Cons: It's a lot! Get ready to spend every waking minute catching up. It's also being added to all the time with all the new series.
Star Wars movies in 'The Godfather' order
The following are the Star Wars films in the "Godfather" order.
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Pros: The idea of this ordering is to watch the original two Star Wars movies and then, after the shock reveals at the end of Empire Strikes Back that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, jump back to the prequel trilogy to fill in the background of Anakin Skywalker. After Revenge of the Sith, you then return to watch Return of the Jedi, adding new depth to Vader and Luke's final clash without disrupting the big twists of the story.
As you may have noticed this ordering evokes the flashback structure of Francis Ford Coppola's classic gangster movie The Godfather Part II (in other words it's Luke, I am your Godfather), and is fairly popular with fans online.
Cons: The obvious downside is that it's difficult to fit the newer Star Wars movies and TV series into this structure - probably the best way to watch them in this version is in production order following Return of the Jedi - so it may not be for everyone.
Star Wars movies in The Machete Order
No, this is nothing to do with knives or, sadly, the Danny Trejo Spy Kids character. Instead, the name comes from Rod Hilton, author of blog nomachetejuggling.com, who sought to fix one of the saga’s biggest problems: if watched chronically, the big ‘No Luke, I am your father’ reveal is ruined.
Similar to the Godfather order, the Machete order allows you to enjoy the first two original Star Wars movies – and the shock Empire Strikes Back ending – before jumping into Vader’s backstory.
However, you might notice a big difference from the Godfather order: The Phantom Menace is missing. Why? As Hilton explains: “The reason to skip Episode I isn’t that it’s bad, it’s that it’s irrelevant.”
The thinking is that the Star Wars saga better works as the tale of Luke Skywalker, not Darth Vader. At its core, it’s a story of how the younger Skywalker takes on a gigantic burden, saving the Galaxy – and his father – from the Dark Side. Hilton argues Episode I adds nothing to this story and all of its noteworthy events are summed up in the opening crawl to Episode II.
If that explanation doesn’t win you over, this thought might: removing Episode I means that, apart from a few lines in Episode II, Jar Jar is virtually removed from the Star Wars saga.
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
To continue The Machete Order you then watch the sequel saga:
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Well, now you know!
Star Wars movies in The Rinster Order
The Rinster Order – named after superfan Ernest Rinster – has also gained some prominence in recent years among the Star Wars community.
If it looks the same as the Godfather order, that's because it is – but the Rinster method might well have come first.
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
You'll have to let us know if you like this one.
What's the best Star Wars movie order?
Though some sources claim there are up to five different orders you could watch the Star Wars saga in, there are three generally accepted ways to do it. One is in order of episodes (following in-movie chronology), the second is in order of production (going by release date) and the third (the so-called "Godfather cut") to best tell the Skywalker story's plot twists. All three have their pros and cons.
The Machete order is simple: you remove The Phantom Menace. In terms of what's best, for us it's the chronological viewing order. You can get all the movies in a weekend binge rather, so it's doable compared to the ultimate order. You just have 11 movies to watch alongside the two spin-offs.
If you're watching the Star Wars movies for the very first time, welcome my young Padwan. Perhaps the best way for you is the release order. Keep it simple then circle back when the TV series have built up to tackle the ultimate order. We'd also recommend the release date order if you're treating your kids to the franchise for the first time.
Star Wars universe timeline
Disney and Lucasfilm have officially given a timeline with official time period names to help guide the current and future content to come set in the Star Wars universe.
- Dawn of the Jedi
- The Old Republic
- The High Republic
- Fall of the Jedi
- Reign of the Empire
- Age of Rebellion
- The New Republic
- Rise of the First Order
- New Jedi Order
It should be noted that the prequel trilogy took place in the "Fall of the Jedi" period, while the original trilogy was set in the "Age of Rebellion" and the sequel trilogy in the period known as the "Rise of the First Order".
Solo: A Star Wars Story took place in the "Reign of the Empire" period, while Rogue One: A Star Wars Story took place in the early stage of the "Age of Rebellion".
There are three upcoming films which will see the on-screen timeline expand to new limits.
The untitled James Mangold film will be set at the beginning of the Star Wars timeline in what is being dubbed the "Dawn of the Jedi", while Dave Feloni's untitled event film will be a crossover event for many of the live-action series connected to The Mandalorian during the era of "The New Republic".
Finally, the new Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film will be set 15 years after the events of the sequel trilogy and explore Rey Skywalker and the "New Jedi Order" era.
Star Wars movies on Disney Plus
Disney Plus UK is a one-stop-shop for virtually all Star Wars content, with the entire Skywalker Saga and recent spin-offs available to stream. Here's the full list of what Star Wars movies on Disney Plus:
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004)
The streaming service also contains every episode of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor released so far.
It will also eventually boast the likes of Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte.
Where else can I watch the Star Wars movies?
Disney Plus is the premier location to watch Star Wars online, with the entire Skywalker Saga and both spin-off movies available to stream instantly. Subscribe to Disney Plus for £79.90 for a whole year or £7.99 a month.
If you haven't got a Disney Plus subscription, other options are available: the digital movie collection (comprised of episodes one to six) is available to buy from the usual channels, such as Amazon, iTunes and Google Play.
If you don't fancy splashing out quite that much, most the Star Wars movies are available to rent for as little as £2.49 on Amazon Prime Video.
How long will it take to watch all the Star Wars movies?
It will take you 25 hours and 7 minutes to watch all 11 live-action Star Wars movies (original versions). This count includes the nine instalments from the Skywalker saga and the two anthology movies, Rogue One and Solo. Excluding the anthology movies, Episode I to IX will take you 20 hours and 39 minutes to watch.
Here are the run times of all Star Wars movies, from shortest to longest:
- A New Hope – 121 minutes
- The Empire Strikes Back — 124 minutes
- Return of the Jedi — 131 minutes
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — 133 minutes
- Solo: A Star Wars Story — 135 minutes
- The Phantom Menace — 136 minutes
- The Force Awakens — 138 minutes
- Revenge of the Sith — 140 minutes
- Attack of the Clones — 142 minutes
- The Last Jedi — 152 minutes
- The Rise of Skywalker – 155 minutes
The longest Star Wars film is therefore The Rise of Skywalker and the shortest remains the original film at just over 2 hours.
Star Wars movies in Rotten Tomatoes score order
The Star Wars franchise has also come in for intense critical scrutiny and we have the scores from the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes to highlight the differing critical receptions.
The percentage shown demonstrates the number of reviews that deemed the movie to be "fresh".
- The Empire Strikes Back - 94%
- The Force Awakens - 93%
- A New Hope - 92%
- The Last Jedi - 91%
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - 84%
- Return of the Jedi - 82%
- Revenge of the Sith - 80%
- Solo: A Star Wars Story - 70%
- Attack of the Clones - 65%
- (TIE) The Phantom Menace and The Rise of Skywalker - 52%
12. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - 18%
Only The Phantom Menace, The Rise of Skywalker and Star Wars: The Clone Wars are deemed to be "Rotten" by the review aggregator site.
Star Wars TV series in Rotten Tomatoes score order
The Star Wars live-action television series are also being closely analysed by critics and we have the scores from the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes to highlight the differing critical receptions.
The percentage shown demonstrates the number of reviews that deemed the movie to be "fresh".
- Andor - 96%
- The Mandalorian - 91%
- Obi-Wan Kenobi - 82%
- The Book of Boba Fett - 66%
The Mandalorian had been the critical darling of the Disney+ series but the gritty Andor has since overtaken the fan favourite to be the most acclaimed series.
It seems The Book of Boba Fett proved to be the biggest critical disappointment so far.
Star Wars movies in IMDb score order
Of course, we also have the mammoth audience ratings thanks to IMDb which shows a clear trend towards favouring the original trilogy (no surprise there!).
On top of that, it is clear that of the more modern Star Wars films there is a love for the standalone spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and sequel trilogy opener The Force Awakens.
Below is the series in order of IMDb score.
1. The Empire Strikes Back (IMDb score 8.7)
2. A New Hope (IMDb score 8.6)
3. Return of the Jedi (IMDb score 8.3)
4. TIE Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (IMDb score 7.8) and The Force Awakens (IMDb score 7.8)
6. Revenge of the Sith (IMDb score 7.5)
7. TIE The Last Jedi (IMDb score 6.9) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (IMDb score 6.9)
9. THREE-WAY TIE The Phantom Menace (IMDb score 6.5), Attack of the Clones (IMDb score 6.5) and The Rise of Skywalker (IMDb score 6.5)
12. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (IMDb score 6.0)
Star Wars TV series in IMDb order
The following Star Wars live-action series are in order of the highest IMDb score from viewers to the lowest.
- The Mandalorian (IMDb score 8.7)
- Andor (IMDb score 8.4)
- The Book of Boba Fett (IMDb score 7.2)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (IMDb score 7.1)
We shall have to wait and see how the likes of Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte shape up.
Star Wars original trilogy characters in order of screen-time
According to Gold Derby, the following original trilogy characters are in order of screentime for the classic Star Wars trilogy.
- Luke Skywalker (1hr 58 minutes)
- Han Solo (1hr 12 minutes)
- Princess Leia Organa (1hr 3 minutes)
- C-3PO (1hr 2 minutes)
- Chewbacca (52 minutes)
- R2-D2 (49 minutes)
- Darth Vader (44 minutes)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (23 minutes)
- Yoda (17 minutes)
- Lando Calrissian (17 minutes)
So, in unsurprising news, trilogy hero Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, is the character with the most screen time in the original trilogy.
Star Wars prequel trilogy characters in order of screen-time
According to Gold Derby, the following characters are in order of screentime for the prequel Star Wars trilogy.
- Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (2hrs 19 minutes)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (1hr 43 minutes)
- Padmé Amidala (1hr 22 minutes)
- Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious (42 minutes)
- Qui-Gon Jin (40 minutes)
- Jar Jar Binks (28 minutes)
- Yoda (28 minutes)
- R2-D2 (26 minutes)
- Mace Windu (18 minutes)
- Captain Panaka (14 minutes)
So, in unsurprising news, Anakin Skywalker is the chosen one and is the top dog for screentime by a country mile.
Star Wars sequel trilogy characters in order of screen-time
According to Gold Derby, the following characters are in order of screentime for the prequel Star Wars trilogy.
- Rey (2hrs 18 minutes)
- Finn (1hr 24 minutes)
- Kylo Ren (1hr 2 minutes)
- Poe Dameron (54 minutes)
- BB-8 (30 minutes)
- Luke Skywalker (27 minutes)
- Chewbacca (26 minutes)
- Han Solo (25 minutes)
- C-3PO (20 minutes)
- General Leia Organa (20 minutes)
Rey, the leading heroine of the sequel trilogy, comes out on top
What Star Wars TV series do we have to be released soon?
First up we have Ahsoka which is set in the same time period as The Mandalorian and its other spin-off series. It will follow the titular heroine and also other characters who are featured in Star Wars Rebels.
Following this, we will have the Star Wars series Skeleton Crew which will feature Jude Law as a Jedi warrior alongside a cast of young adults.
Finally, viewers can also look forward to the series The Acolyte which is set during the era of the High Republic.
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